If you remember Captain Pugwash when he was in black and white then you'll also doubtless recall that the original version of Manic Miner was one of the first platform games ever on the ZX Spectrum. Yep, it really is that old--and boy, does it show. Although most retro rereleases are a breath of fresh air, from a time when gameplay was always more important than graphics, truth be told Manic Miner was looking old-fashioned even before the 80s were over. It was first released in 1983, ironically the same year Mario Bros. came out in arcades, and while that game featured an ultra-controllable character running and leaping all over the shop, Manic Miner's character could only perform a slow uninterruptible jump in a series of 20 single-screen rooms. Matters were helped by a wicked, very British, sense of humour but even that seems to have been lost in this bland, graphically "enhanced" remake. What's particularly odd is that the original version of the game isn't actually included on the cart at all, merely two versions of the enhanced game, one composed of the original 20 screens and the other featuring an additional 10 new ones. Failing as it does to be any kind of historical record Manic Miner must survive purely on its own merits and to be honest it really doesn't come close to the likes of Super Mario World. --David Jenkins